


> sudo apt-get memories

by tourmalinex



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Angst with a Happy Ending, Friends to Lovers, M/M, What Measure is a Non-Human, oh god this one is going to be long i can feel it in my bones
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-04
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-02-10 11:49:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12911322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tourmalinex/pseuds/tourmalinex
Summary: Technology continues to advance. In recent years, several android series have been made to ease everyday tasks. Although androids have mostly been settled into retail, households are slowly investing into this new technological advancement. One day, at the Dojima household, the sole unit of the Narukami Series arrives.





	1. Chapter 1

It started with a large box delivered to the Dojima house. After the delivery driver assisted with bringing the package inside, he went into his truck and drove away, leaving Ryotaro Dojima with his thoughts. While he had expected this delivery, nothing could prepare him for its contents. Thankfully, his daughter Nanako wasn’t there to witness the unboxing. With unsteady hands, Ryotaro grabbed the box cutter from the kitchen, gliding it across the top. After opening the top, he noticed folded piece of paper addressed to him. Cautiously, Ryotaro picked it up and read through it.

> To my younger brother,
> 
> I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for accepting our latest product, the only android of the Narukami Series. I know that for the past several years, it must have been hard to take care of your daughter without Chisato. This particular unit has several programs installed so that household chores will be taken care of. I’ve also included a laptop and instructions for the operating system update—don’t worry, it’s easier than it sounds. I hope that this unit proves to be helpful to you. For the time being, I won’t be able to visit because of work and other personal matters, but Tatsuki and I wish you the best.
> 
> Please, take good care of this unit.
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Haruka

At the bottom of the page was (presumably) her current address. Knowing his sister and her workaholic nature—something they had in common—she would be moving to another city or country later on in the year. Ryotaro folded the letter up again and shoved it into his pocket. “‘This unit,’ huh,” he repeated. For a moment, he contemplated the consequences of activating the android. Despite his sister being at the forefront of designing these sort of things for businesses and households, Ryotaro never had that much exposure to this level of technology. However, with the advance towards higher functioning A.I.s that were stationed in stores and other places of work, the detective figured that it wouldn’t be long before the androids would be accessible outside of major cities.

Ryotaro brushed away the first layer of packaging peanuts, only to jerk his hand when he felt something cold. He couldn’t register the sensation at first, but ultimate chose to scoop out more of the packaging peanuts until he uncovered a pale hand. As he uncovered more of the android, Ryotaro began to question if this was a good idea. He could have refused his older sister’s offer—no, request—to take this android unit. But as soon as Ryotaro saw its—his?—face, the corners of his mouth tugged his lips into a frown. The sole unit of the Narukami series looked so human-like except for the silver hair. He donned a white t-shirt and a grey sweatpants, which helped in giving him a human appearance.

Ryotaro sighed. “That’s right. He’s just an machine. Nothing much to think about.”

According to the manual, all he had to do was press behind the android’s ears to turn it on. Ryotaro looked carefully, looking for both buttons. He felt two small bumps behind each ear. _Okay, so press and hold for three seconds…_

The android’s eyes opened slowly, as if waking from a long sleep. Ryotaro’s heart nearly leapt out of his chest as he backed away, watching carefully as the android began to move about until it found balance.

“Hello.” The android bowed its head in acknowledgement of Ryotaro’s presence. “I am very pleased to meet you. I am Unit 001 of the Narukami Series. I am here to help your day to day life become easier.”

He was aware that they could _talk_ , but Ryotaro was still surprised by how natural its voice sounded. “Oh, um, hello. I’m Dojima Ryotaro. Do you… have a name? Or something I can call you?”

“I’m afraid not. Perhaps… you could give me a name?”

“Give you a name?”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” The android tilted its head. “Was that too forward of me, Dojima-san?”

“N-No, that’s not it.” Dojima’s mouth twisted “It’s just that… give me a few moments to come up with something?”

“Of course. Take your time.”

 _Hmmm… his demeanor is calm and his voice is soft._ If he didn’t know any better, Ryotaro would have guessed that he was just a shy teenager.

“How about.. Yu? Narukami Yu.”

Ryotaro wasn’t sure how, but the android--no, Yu--smiled at him. But it didn’t take long for the smile to fade and return to a stoic expression.

“Understood. My name is now registered.”

The older man scratched the back of his head. “I… I see. So, what can you do?”

“I am capable of performing a variety of tasks.” Yu’s expression softened the more he spoke. “I can go shopping, cook meals and clean. I can speak most languages and can easily look up any local information, such as searching for restaurants and popular tourist attractions.”

Ryotaro chuckled. “Well, we’re just a small town, but I’m glad to hear that you can accomplish a lot. How about we start off with something simple?”

* * *

“Dad? I’m home!”

Both Yu and Ryotaro could hear the front door open from the kitchen. As Yu concentrated on his task, Ryotaro got up from the couch and walked over to the doorway.

“Welcome back, Nanako.”

As the young girl rushed into the living room, she took notice of Yu. She ran over towards her father, hiding behind him. Yu made his way towards them, but kept a reasonable distance. He crouched down, to meet Nanako’s height and smiled.

“Hello, Nanako-chan. I’m really happy to meet you. Dojima-san told me a lot about you.”

Nanako’s face was flushed as she stepped forward, still gripping onto her father for security. “Really? So ummm…”

“Don’t you remember Nanako?” Ryotaro asked gently. “I told you last week that your… cousin would be staying with us from now on.” He checked his watch, then patted her on the head. “I have to go to work now, so don’t give him too much trouble, okay?”

“Okay, dad.”

“I’ll be back late tonight.” As Yu nodded, Ryotaro grabbed his jacket and his house keys. “Yu, remember everything I told you?”

“Of course.” Ryotaro left without saying much else, leaving Nanako to stare at Yu as he continued to prepare dinner. “Nanako-chan, do you like shogayaki?”

Her eyes gleamed as she gave a small _mhmm_! She took a deep breath and walked over to his side, watching intently. “So your name is Yu?”

“Yes,” he said as he began to grate some ginger. “If you need anything, feel free to ask me, okay?”

“So umm… are you one of those robots they have at the store?”

Yu paused, thinking back on what Ryotaro had said. He was persistent in not letting Nanako know what he was and to keep up the charade of being cousins. But Yu gracefully accept defeat. He turned towards Nanako and nodded. “How could you tell?”

“I heard my dad talking to someone about getting one to help around the house.”

Yu knelt down to meet her eyes, worried. “Do I… does me being one scare you?”

Nanako shook her head. “No. Sometimes, when I go to the grocery store, I talk to some of them. One of them is even my friend.” She clapped her hands together. “Oh! Maybe you can meet him so you can have a friend too!”

“That sounds nice. Would it be okay to go tomorrow while we get something for dinner?”

“Okay. I’m gonna go do my homework.”

As she went off to get her backpack and Yu returned to cooking, a thought crossed his mind.

_Could I really have friends?_


	2. Chapter 2

Yu Narukami only came with two outfits, both for casual settings. He wasn’t quite sure why, but his new owner gave him a white t-shirt and grey sweatpants—”nightwear,” he called it. While he complied with the rules of the Dojima household, Yu was perplexed by his new surroundings. He was built to be aware of what to do, but didn’t understand most of the customs. His existence was to ease the life of a household, and so far, for the few hours of his activation, Yu didn’t mind. His official first day ended smoothly. Nanako went to bed, leaving Yu to wait up for Dojima to return home before entering “sleep mode.”

To both Dojima and Nanako’s surprise, Yu had woken up before either of them. He tried to explain “early mode,” but judging by Dojima’s confused expression, Yu resolved to give the short answer of having set an alarm. In any case, Dojima and Nanako seemed pleased that by the time they came downstairs, breakfast was made and plated. As they settled down and ate, Yu watched from the living room, sitting on the couch. Androids couldn’t eat, not that there was a need to. But what would a fried egg and ham steak taste like? What is their texture? How hot does coffee feel against your lips? How sweet is juice? Even though he had a database to tell him, Yu was aware that information wasn’t the same as experience.

“Thanks for the breakfast,” Dojima said, stacking his and Nanako’s plate. Yu stood up and rushed towards the kitchen.

“I can clean those for you,” he said, holding out his hands. Without saying anything, Dojima handed the dishes over, then grabbed his jacket. As Yu placed them in the sink and turned on the tap, Dojima pulled out his wallet.

“Here, this should be enough for tonight’s dinner. You can get anything Nanako wants.”

“Of course. That reminds me…” Yu took the money from Dojima, put it in his pocket, then turned to the fridge. “Nanako-chan, I made a bento for you. It’s on the middle shelf. There’s one for you too, Dojima-san.”

“Thank you,” Nanako said shyly.

“I’ll see the both of you later.” Dojima gathered his things and patted Nanako on the head as he left for work.

“I should get ready, too.” Nanako went back upstairs, presumably to get her backpack.

Yu gave his attention back to the dishes and washed them rather quickly. By the time Nanako came back to the kitchen, backpack and all, Yu had set everything on the drying rack. As Nanako opened up the fridge and took out her bento, she turned to Yu.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “If anyone asks, I’ll say, ‘My cousin made this.’”

He smiled at her. “Thank you, Nanako-chan. That means a lot to me.”

The young girl frowned. “I don’t get why I have to say that, though. Dad said that some people don’t like robots, but…”

“It’s okay. We’re cousins, right?”

Nanako nodded. “Right.”

After she left for school, Yu sat in silence, thinking of what to do. No one was home to give him any orders, and he had no interest in doing much of anything except for housework.

“... I’m alone.”

* * *

As promised, when Nanako came back from school, she and Yu went off to get ingredients for dinner. After thinking it over, Yu and Nanako decided that curry would make a nice meal. Through the entire trip, Nanako talked of an android she considered her best friend and how silly he was. Silly.

_ Could I be like that? _

“We’re here!”

Just as Nanako said, Junes was a large store that had more than just groceries. The amount of customers was a bit overwhelming, but Yu persevered with Nanako leading the way to the produce section. Despite having so many people, the produce section was well organized and well stocked. He selected vegetables with care, going down the list he made earlier that afternoon. However, as he and Nanako were about to head over to the meat section, Yu noticed a flash of yellow coming towards them.

“Nana-chan!” 

Another android with blonde hair and blue eyes smiled brightly and immediately greeted Nanako. From what Yu could see, the blonde android was definitely an older model, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. 

“Nana-chan, it’s been a while! Are you shopping for dinner?”

“Hi Teddie.” Nanako gestured towards Yu. “This is… my cousin. Yu, this is the friend I was talking about.” 

As Teddie turned to face Yu, his demeanor changed all together. They made eye contact that felt longer than three seconds to Nanako, but that was all the time they needed for “complete registration.”

“Hello, Narukami Yu!”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, SERIES T.DRBWY 01.”

“Oh, you can just call me Teddie.” The shorter android’s eyes widened in amazement. “Wow, you look so cool! And your programming is so  _ new _ . Would it be alright to call you ‘sensei’?”

Yu tilted his head. “Even though you’re older than me?”

“Please?” Teddie begged. “I need to level up so Yosuke can stop yelling at me! Please show me your ways sensei!”

“You’re a CHEER type, right?” Yu asked. Nanako tugged on his sleeve, looking up at him questioningly. 

“That’s right!” Teddie stuck out his chest in pride. “That means I’m good with kids!” 

“If you’re friends with Nanako,” Yu continued, “then you don’t need to learn anything from me. You’re already going a good job.”

Without a second thought, Teddie hugged Yu. “Thank you for thinking so! I always try my best to be there for Nana-chan!”

“Why are you working here if you’re a CHEER type?” Yu asked as Teddie released him.

“Oh, well that’s because my family runs — ”

“Hey, Ted!”

A brown-haired employee walked over. He placed his hands on his hips and frowned. “If you’re going to take a ten minute break, tell me first.”

“Ahhh, I’m sorry Yosuke! I just wanted to say hi to Nana-chan!” Teddie latched onto Yosuke’s arm, despite the brunette’s obvious annoyance. He sighed, then pried Teddie off before turning to Nanako.

“Hey, Nanako. Do you need any helping picking out anything?”

Nanako shook her head. “I’m okay. I have my cousin with me today.”

“Your cousin?” Yosuke eyed Yu up and down as his eyebrows furrowed. “I see. Do you live around here?”

“I just moved in yesterday,” Yu said.

Yosuke shrugged. “Ah, so that explains why I don’t recognize you. Anyways, I’m Yosuke. Yosuke Hanamura.”

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Yu Narukami.”

“Well, if you guys need anything, just ask, okay? I’m still on the clock, so I’ll see you later. Ted, get back to work!”

“D-Don’t worry Yosuke! I’ll work beary hard!” Teddie’s shoulders dropped. “Well, I’ll see you next time, Nana-chan. I hope we get to talk more, sensei!”

As Nanako and Yu walked off to line up at the register, Nanako tugged on Yu’s sleeve and smiled. “You made your first friend!”

Yu chuckled. “It’s that easy?”

“Mmhmm! Teddie’s really nice! I think you two will get along! Yosuke’s really nice too!”

He thought so, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~-A WILD TOURMALINEX APPEARED-~~
> 
> Hey guys! I know I haven't been updating lately, and I'm sorry to those who were waiting for the next chapter. College is rough, so to anyone who isn't there yet ENJOY ALL THE FREE TIME YOU HAVE. Midterms are on the horizon, so god knows when I can update again. Anyways, thanks to everyone reading and leaving kudos! I'm horrible at getting back to comments, though I try to answer questions ~~(is really just a shy bean)~~.
> 
> Hope everyone is having a relaxing weekend! See y'all next time~

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I'm still in the process of writing the new chapter for Where I Found You, and since I'm god awful at focusing on one thing at a time, I ended up fleshing this out ~~like this has been in my gdrive for over a year holy crap~~. Points for anyone who got the Linux reference in the title (says the person who hasn't used Linux for a loooong time). Anyways, I've been dying to get to this story, mainly because I've been listening to the playlist I made to write to this and the feels are STRONG. But well, y'all will see what I mean. I hope this was an enjoyable first chapter and I'll see y'all next time!
> 
> p.s. sorry for any typos I'm running on caffeine and sleep deprivation. Good luck to anyone with finals—may the odds be ever in your favor.


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